Shaved Fennel and Radish Slaw in Citrus Dressing

190 lbs!! Are you sure? I asked Vipul last Thursday as he walked in from his doctor’s appointment.

Yea, and even the blood pressure is higher than normal. And I suspect my triglycerides are also on higher side.

Probably even my cortisol.

It’s not the first time we are dealing with weight gain and high BP. Vipul has been struggling with this for years now and with exercise and diet we have managed to keep it under control. But the last couple of months have been especially stressful. Between the apartment hunting, school search, finding a doctor for both Varun and me; its been hectic to say the least.

Not to mention some drama on my part as I adjust to staying at home while Vipul and Varun go off in the mornings to their busy schedules.Also we have been eating out a lot while out between appointments.

So, now that we are a bit settled on apartment/school/doctor/midwife/car front, its time to focus on eating right. Playing with Varun and walking to work has incorporated some exercise in Vipul’s routine; its time to eat more veggies.

The other flip side to our move also has been that Varun has stopped eating veggies. He will have occasional carrots and peas but nothing else. Our hope is that by incorporating more veggies in our daily routine, we will set a good example for Varun!

South Beach diet has worked well for us in the past – with its focus on veggies, fruits, proteins, complex carbs and fats. Its easier for the entire family to adopt this diet. Vipul is starting with Phase One to eliminate cravings and kickstart his diet while Varun and I will be on Phase Three which focuses on healthy eating habits for life. Their one principle I love is to eat a lot of variety of vegetables at every meal and eat good fat to help body absorb vitamins. That’s one thing advocated by couple of other blogs that I follow: 100 days of Real Food and Deliciously Organic.

To start the diet, I made fennel and radish slaw to go with salmon.

I have never cooked with fennel bulb before so I didn’t really know what to expect or if Vipul would like it. I know it has a strong taste which can be mellowed with lemon juice. So I went ahead, thinly sliced the fennel bulb and marinated it in lemon-orange juice, seasoned it. And served it raw with thinly sliced radishes.

Layered over baby spinach and skillet grilled salmon, it was a pair made in heaven. It didn’t taste like diet food at all. Flavorful, crunchy, colorful – now we are talking.

Shaved Fennel and Radish Slaw in Citrus Dressing Recipe

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of paprika

Salt to taste

1 Small bulk fennel thinly sliced

4-5 radishes thinly sliced

1. Mix all the citrus dressing ingredients in a bowl (from lemon juice through salt). Place the fennel slices in the citrus dressing for at least 30 minutes.

2. Remove fennel slices from the citrus dressing and layer them with radishes.

Welcome to Our Tiny Lot!

Whats up! We are Vipul & Rutu. Self Confessed Foodies, Travel Lovers and parents to an active 3 year old ( & growing to four) making San Francisco our home after a decade in Seattle and a stint in India. Read more about us and join us on our adventures.